Harry S. Truman Scholarship
Offered by Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
About this scholarship
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards up to $30,000 for graduate or professional education leading to a career in government or another form of public service. The award can support tuition, required fees, books, and approved room-and-board costs, and recipients may defer graduate funding for up to four years after completing their bachelor’s degree. Scholars also attend the required Truman Scholars Leadership Week and gain access to mentoring, federal hiring authority, internships, and optional Washington programs. The 2027 competition is for full-time junior-level students who combine sustained public or community service with leadership potential, strong communication skills, and an academically credible graduate plan. Candidates cannot submit independently: each must first win nomination through the Truman Faculty Representative at an accredited institution. Institutions then register nominees for the online application, which includes an application form, policy proposal, nomination letter, three recommendations, and a transcript. About 800 nominations are normally forwarded, roughly 200 candidates become finalists, and approximately 55 to 65 scholars are selected. Recipients must work in public service for three of the seven years after completing the Foundation-funded graduate degree or repay the support with interest.
Eligibility
- Be a United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa by the award date
- Be a full-time junior-level student at an accredited four-year institution during 2026–2027
- Expect to receive a bachelor’s degree within the graduation window stated in the 2027 bulletin
- Rank in the upper quarter of the undergraduate class
- Secure nomination from the institution’s Truman Faculty Representative
- Demonstrate a substantial record of public or community service and leadership
- Plan graduate or professional study connected to a career in public service
- Accept the three-years-in-seven public-service employment obligation tied to funded graduate study